


you can count on me

by jamesniall



Series: everything you do is magic [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Peter Pan AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 15:32:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9498530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamesniall/pseuds/jamesniall
Summary: Harry has seen Niall do pretty much everything.He’s seen him heal trees, mend broken hearts and teary faces of the children who don’t get what they wanted for Christmas. He’s seen him give all kind of pretty colors to flowers and butterflies. He’s seen him dumping an entire bag of fairy dust on top of a tiny bird who was learning how to fly. Just as he’s seen him dumping the same amount of fairy dust on Louis’ head when he finds him snooping and messing around at night, then blowing as hard as he can to make him fly far far away.It’s all been pretty funny. Most times beautiful, even if at times confusing. Always mesmerizing and amazing.He’s never seen him quite like this.-Or, a Peter Pan AU where Harry is Peter Pan and Niall is Tinkerbell, whose health keeps getting worse as people say they don't believe in fairies.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Polski available: [you can count on me || tłumaczenie ||](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9825287) by [just_vanilla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_vanilla/pseuds/just_vanilla)



> HELLO!!!
> 
> this is probably the weirdest peter pan au you'll find, but it was so nice and different to write that i love it very much a lot ♥
> 
> there are plently of things i completely made up bc i couldn't quite make them the same as in the movie, so you'll see, in this universe, despite them living in neverland, they do age, bc it'd be weird to write narry in a proper relationship with them being kids, so they do age, just slower, let's say that in five normal years they age like just one, i imagined them being around 21-22 when i wrote it, so there's that.
> 
> also, in this one tinkerbell it's not just niall being a fairy but he's almost more like the tinkerbell in the tinkerbell movies? when they like work with water and animals and stuff?? yeah. so he talks to trees and flowers and animals and he's the cutest little thing ever. Also he's normal Niall-sized. But he can turn into a tiny fairy-sized fairy when he needs to, (like when he wants to have a cuddle in Harry's pocket or help Louis prank Liam.)
> 
> i could probably write a 20k fic in this universe, bc i loved it a lot. so i obviously need to thank the cute little anon that send me this prompt in tumblr a while ago. this is for you, i hope you love and enjoy it as much as i did as i was writing it ♥

Harry has seen Niall do pretty much everything.

He’s seen him heal trees, mend broken hearts and teary faces of the children who don’t get what they wanted for Christmas. He’s seen him give all kind of pretty colors to flowers and butterflies. He’s seen him dumping an entire bag of fairy dust on top of a tiny bird who was learning how to fly. Just as he’s seen him dumping the same amount of fairy dust on Louis’ head when he finds him snooping and messing around at night, then blowing as hard as he can to make him fly far far away.

It’s all been pretty funny. Most times beautiful, even if at times confusing. Always mesmerizing and amazing.

He’s never seen him quite like this.

He’s leaning against a tree, full size, because he only uses his tiny fairy size when they fly out of Neverland and he squeezes himself into Harry’s chest pocket and naps the whole trip. He has his eyes closed and he’s swaying slightly, he looks as if the smallest gust of wind might send him flying, and not because of the entire fairy thing, but because he looks like he fell asleep right there speaking to a tree.

“Ni?” Harry says softly, trying not to startle him and failing pretty badly when Niall jumps two feet up the ground and stays up there, floating, looking at Harry with wide but still sleepy eyes. “You okay up there?” Harry asks with a soft smile, reaching his arms up to anchor him down.

“I’m just fine, why do you ask?” He mumbles back, rubbing his eyes and letting Harry hold him down with his hands on Niall’s shoulders.

“Well, probably because I found you dead asleep standing beside a tree.” Harry explains with a teasing smile. “Pretty sure I saw a small bird making a nest in your hair.”

That seems to wake him properly.

“What?” Niall gasps, “No, it couldn’t have happened again. I was just- The tree was telling me- It was only like, five minutes!”

“I was joking, Ni!” Harry laughs, and he knows he deserves the small shove Niall gives him and the pout he sends his way. “But what do you mean _again_?”

“It’s the third time I fall asleep working out here today.” Niall admits softly, like he’s ashamed of it and even more so of saying it out loud. “I don’t know why, I just know I’ve felt like I needed 50 more hours of sleep since I woke up this morning,” He sighs before continuing, “First I was watering a couple plants around the island, and I don’t know when but I ended up lying down on the sand and sleeping for an hour.

“Then I was helping a bird build her nest for her little ones and she thought she’d practice in my hair at first but I ended up falling asleep because it felt really nice,” he blushes, “next thing I know I have five little birds sleeping on my head.” He pauses when Harry chuckles, then he lets out a small laugh too. “It was a struggle to get them off. Pretty sure it’ll take me years to get all the small leaves off my hair.”

“Then you ended up here and I found you.”

“You did.” Niall says, but his voice doesn’t have the usual warmness, the usual smile you can even hear in his voice. He just sounds tired. “It’s just weird, I’ve never felt like this since – “

“Pretty sure that’s not it. Let’s not go there.” Harry interrupts before Niall can recall the awful memories of that time, years ago, when he almost loses Niall.

“But then what is it? What if it’s starting again? You know, kids seem to grow faster nowadays, if they don’t believe then – “

“They believe.” Harry says. And those words alone seem to give Niall a bit of his brightness back. “And if they start misbehaving like last time you know Zayn promised he’d help as much as he could, I’m sure he won’t let anyone he knows say anything hurtful about fairies.”

“Zayn’s already all grown up, though.”

“What’s with all this negativity, Ni?” Harry asks with a frown. One he’s not used to wear around Niall. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe you’re just stressing out about the boys’ visit. You’ve been cleaning up a lot, I know how you get. All you need is a nap and a warm cup of tea, tomorrow you’ll be as good as new.”

“Alright.” Niall sighs, frowning for a couple seconds before he looks up at Harry and the frown is replaced by a soft smile. “Alright.” He says, sounding more sure of himself. “Take me to bed, then.”

And that Harry does.

 

-

 

Except, Niall’s not better the next morning.

Or the next.

In that week before they’re due to visit a couple of the lost boys they used to shelter in Neverland all that seems to happen is Niall getting slowly but surely worse.

Harry’s sure he’s never seen him like this before.

The first time it happened, almost six years ago, when little boys and girls around the world went through a phase of not believing, it all happened pretty fast. Niall was alright one day, the next day he barely woke up, could barely move, his usual bright and lively glow was entirely gone. Harry was sure he’d never see him alright again.

But that time, all the lost boys went out there, with Louis, Liam and Zayn as the leaders of a plan that was never completely clear to Harry, and somehow, they made them believe again. When they came back home all of them repeated the words over and over again until Niall was glowing again, cheeks rosy and smile wide even if his eyes still looked tired. They’d been alright afterwards, but the fear of it happening again never truly left.

And now, seeing Niall sleeping way past the usual time he’s up and around, with dark circles under his eyes and a cough that seems it’s only getting worse it’s a strong difference from the usual smiley, bright and always full of energy fairy Harry is used to see every day. It just brings every bad memory back again.

 

-

 

The next morning, the sneezing starts.

It progresses rapidly to a stuffy nose along with an annoying cough that interrupts Niall when he least expects it.

That same night, when Niall is trying fruitlessly to convince Harry that he’s fine, that maybe it was something he ate, _maybe fairies can actually be allergic to things, Haz, who knew._ Harry agrees to a blowjob after Niall’s insistence, who can actually say no to those eyes? But turns out frequent sneezing, along with the joy and excitement running through his body and, well, being a fairy, he ended up sneezing a good amount of fairy dust all over Harry’s dick. It’s something they decide to never bring up ever again.

 

The next day, though, the dizzy spells start, and with them a constant headache. Harry can’t trust Niall to be alone walking around the island or deep inside the woods when he’s at risk of passing out.

Later in the day, when Niall has had enough of Harry as a constant shadow behind him as he works on keeping everything alive and pretty, he listens to Harry (very adamantly) and goes back to bed.

It’s then, when Niall is lying there that Harry notices how his glow has simmered down significantly, his cheeks are more pale than rosy pink and his lips look chapped and dry. That’s when he realizes he needs to stop denying it, stop letting Niall convince him that _I can water the plants today, Haz, I’ll be fine. Of course, I can help the little ducklings cross the pond. What do you mean we can’t have some fun in bed tonight?_ and do something about it.

“I’m going out to visit Zayn tomorrow.” Harry stats when he’s getting ready for bed. “I’m going alone, just for a night, to ask if he knows something, you’ll have Li and Lou taking care of you.”

“You’re banning me from going just because of an allergy?”

“It’s not allergies, though, Ni.” Harry whispers. “You know. We both know it’s not that.”

“I know.” Niall whispers back. “I always go with you, though.”

“Not this time. I’ll be calmer and faster if I know you’re safe resting here in bed, keeping it warm for when I come back and cuddle you the rest of the day.” Harry promises, “I’ll just need you to fill me up with fairy dust and pack me a bag incase Zayn wants to visit.”

“I can do that.” Niall says, a small smile on his face. “You’re usually already covered up in dust in the mornings, with the way you sleep all over me.”

“Shush, you.” Harry says with a laugh. “You love it.”

“Louis also loves it.” Niall laughs, “Loves to tease you when you go out and you think you’re walking but you’re actually floating in the air.”

Harry looks down at Niall with a gentle smile, running a hand through soft blonde hair and says, “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Niall says, catching Harry’s other hand where it lays by his tummy and squeezing it, “We’ll be alright.”

 

-

 

Two days later, right before spring is bound to start, Harry leaves Neverland to check on Zayn, he’s the one they visit the most, since he was the one he helped the most in his short stay before he decided his place was back with his family. He made Harry promise he’d visit frequently and that he’d take Niall and his best friends, Liam and Louis, with him. This time it’s the first one he doesn’t take Niall with him. And even though Niall swears he’s alright to go, Harry insists Niall should stay back and rest. A day in bed with Louis and Liam checking up on him to see he’s not cleaning around, he _should_ get better after that.

It’s something he says to himself multiples times a day since Niall started with his flu symptoms, but he hasn’t been able to convince himself.

 

When he gets to Zayn’s window the first thing he sees is that he’s not alone. He’s with two guys and a girl. He recognizes the girl as Gigi. One of the reasons Zayn was so set on coming back, he knows Zayn never told anyone about his trip to Neverland when he was younger, so he decides he won’t get in just in that moment. He’ll wait if he can catch Zayn alone and if he can’t he’ll go back. He can always come back the next day.

He listens mindlessly to random conversations, getting a bit sleepy sitting there on the edge of the window, he’s about to get some of Niall’s powder he gave him for the trip back when the voices finally get his attention.

“It was always the fairy stories that did it for me when I was a kid.” The girl, Gigi, is saying. “My mum always used them to get me to sleep. She stopped when I was around 8 and then I grew out of it.” She laughs along with the other two guys, who are teasing her about it. “I know it was a silly thing but I used to believe in everything back then.”

“Oh so you don’t, now? You sure?” One of the boys say in a teasing tone, an ugly grin on his face.

“Of course not! Fairies aren’t real.”

Harry tries to hide his gasp, he really does. But he knows Zayn hears it when he turns to look up at the window with wide scared eyes.

“What’s up Zayno? You with her? You believed in fairies too?” The other guy laughs. Clearly trying to work Zayn up.

Harry’s breath hitches harshly; he can feel his heart pound in his chest, hears the echo of it in his ears. His stomach drops three feet underground when he sees in Zayn’s eyes he’s gonna deny everything he knows he’s real. He has some faith, still. Because _he wouldn’t_ he screams to himself. He wouldn’t do that to Niall. He knows what this kind of things do to him. He can’t turn his back on Niall.

Zayn turns his head away from the window so he’s looking back at the guy who’s teasing him the most and shoves him playfully. “Course not. What do you take me for?”

Harry almost breathes in relief. He didn’t expect Zayn to say yes and recall everything he lived in Neverland back in that summer, but he trusts him enough to know he’ll never say _the_ words.

“Oh, you don’t look so convinced, dude!” The other guy says, “C’mon, say it. Say fairies aren’t real.”

“Stop bugging him about it, it’s not that big of a deal.” Gigi says, squeezing Zayn’s hand when he turns a bit too pale.

“This is so stupid. Why are we even talking about this anyway?” Zayn says, trying to brush it all off, but Harry can tell the other two boys aren’t so thrilled about that.

“Is that you admitting you believe in fairies? Oh dude, didn’t take you to be one of those.” The teasing continues, and Harry can tell Zayn is growing more frustrated each time they keep digging the topic and Harry knows, he just knows they won’t let it go until Zayn says it.

He has half a thought to step in right in that moment. To burst the window open and scream “So you don’t believe, uh? You don’t?” He imagines himself throwing fairy powder all over their heads and getting them to fly all over the room so they can stop torturing Zayn like this. So they can _believe._ So they can say the right words and heal Niall, because now he knows is this what has Niall so sick back home.

He’s about to do all of it, but of course, that’s when Zayn opens his mouth.

“I don’t believe in fairies, alright? I don’t. Fairies aren’t real.” He says it with so much venom in his voice that Harry almost believes him.

He doesn’t hear what the two boys have to say, he’s heard enough. All he needs is to go back home, see if Niall is alright, because he’s sure this has made it worse. Then he’ll need to think of a plan to make them believe. If it means revealing himself in the middle of Zayn’s school and make them chant out loud that they believe in fairies as Harry makes them twist around on the air as a punishment for making Niall this sick, he’s willing to do it.

Anything to keep Niall from getting as bad as last time.

 

-

 

He comes back when sunrise it’s just barely starting.

He finds Niall deeply asleep with a wet cloth on his forehead, a sleeping Louis beside him and a clearly concerned Liam, still awake, watching him sleep.

“Did something happen?” Harry whispers as softly as he can.

“Oh, Harry. Fuck. He’s had a bad fever for like, almost three hours now, with no way of getting it down. We tried a bath, tried to get him in the lightest clothes possible, now we’re trying with a wet rag, but it won’t go down. He’s thrown up twice since it started.”

“He’s shivering. Are you sure it’s not working?”

“Try touching him. Louis swears he could fry an egg on Niall’s skin right now.”

Harry reaches out a hand and puts it softly down Niall’s forehead, and he is, indeed, burning up. His glow just barely there. Not even his red-feverish cheeks make him look better.

“Did you hear something from Zayn?”

“I heard enough.” Harry fumes. “He was with his friends, three of them, and all of them said them, you know, _those words_ , when Zayn spoke I just flew out of there before I did something stupid.”

“Zayn said them too?” Liam shrieks, his frown growing deeper. Somehow that’s possible. “We need to do something.” Liam stresses out, “Niall is not- It’s better if we can fix this soon. Would you mind if we go talk to Zayn right now? Might catch him before his class. You stay with Niall.”

“You want to go alone?”

“We’ve done it before.” Liam admits sheepishly. “Just a couple times. We’ve been careful, even Louis has stayed quiet when he knows he needs to. We’ll be alright, you just focus on keeping Niall as cooled down as possible.”

“I trust you guys.” Harry says, taking the bag of fairy dust Niall gave him and handing it to Liam “get back as soon as you can.”

Liam nods, his frown going from concerned to determined as he softly shakes Louis awake. Louis sends a small smile and a wave, kisses Niall’s forehead gently, before he leaves too.

Niall mumbles something in his sleep when Harry moves to stand up and get his clothes off, his brow furrows slightly before his hand finds Harry’s and he settles again. Harry smiles to himself, eyes filling up with tears for a moment before he reminds himself they can do this. Louis and Liam did it before. They can do it one last time.

Come morning, Niall will be alright, he says to himself as he lays down beside Niall and falls asleep.

 

-

 

Louis and Liam find Zayn awake but still in bed. He seems to be dressed, but more because he didn’t take off last night’s clothes than because he’s ready for class early.

Louis doesn’t bother with delicacy, he bursts the window open, startling Zayn so bad he makes the weirdest noise Liam’s ever heard come out of him, and stands as menacingly as he can in front of Zayn, who has his eyes open so wide it seems painful.

“Lou – Liam – I swear I didn’t want to, I tried not to. As soon as I realized what I’d done I kicked them all out, probably busted my chance with Gigi, but I don’t truly care about that right now. I’m just so sorry. It’s Niall alright?”

“First of all, don’t call me Lou.” Louis starts, making Zayn flinch back, “second of all, you need to apologize to Niall. Not me. And third, how do you think he is? He’s been sick for _days_ all tired and cold and now he has a fever and he’s throwing up, how did you think he’d be?”

Zayn gets paler and paler the more Louis talks, Liam is about to interfere, but right in that moment Zayn begins to mutter worryingly to himself, but loud enough they both can hear him just fine.

“Oh no, God, no. This is because the project, isn’t? Of course, it is. Stupid project. Stupid college. Why didn’t I say no to working on that topic? I never wanted to hurt Niall.  Was actually waiting for any of you to show up so I could warn him. I never wanted this to happen. I don’t want him to _die._ ”

“Zayn, buddy, breath, alright? You need to take a deep breath and start from the beginning because you’re not making sense at all.” Liam soothes him, placing warm hands on Zayn’s shaky ones and sending a look at Louis. “And Lou, I know your intentions come from the best place, but I don’t think it’s helping much. We just need to hear him out.”

After Zayn’s composed himself and Louis and Liam are sitting by each side of him, he starts explaining. “There’s a project, in my creative writing class. They wanted us to present a topic from any fiction or fantasy book or story we’ve heard but that has lost importance or fame with time. It had to be done in groups, and I got paired up with Gigi, at first, but then those two guys joined us and we couldn’t quite say no and – “

“You’re rambling, Z.” Louis says, impatient but gentle. “Get back to it.”

“Well, Gigi proposed we did it about fairy tales. And they both agreed so I couldn’t say no. And yesterday we were finishing up the presentation and the conversation turned sour when they started asking if we’ve ever believed all those bedtime stories, and like, if I said I believed they’d get all stupid and annoying. They might me in college but they act like five year olds, and they started teasing not only Gigi but me too and I just – “

“You felt like your only way out was to say you didn’t believe.” Liam finishes.

“Yeah.” Zayn breathes out, “But I regret it so much. The look on Harry’s face when he heard was just- I feel so bad about it, I wish I could change the entire presentation and turn it into an appreciation for fairytales, talk about the Peter Pan story and make them all fucking chant out loud that they believe.”

“Well, why don’t you?” Louis asks, eyebrows raised in the way that says _I already have a plan._

“I mean, the guys would be pissed probably. But if you tell me this can help Niall I’ll do it.”

“Let’s get to work then. Open your laptop or whatever thing and listen closely to the wonderful story of Peter Pan and his Tinkerbell.”

 

-

 

“- And that’s how it ends.” Zayn says as he reaches the last slide of the new-made presentation. He’s had his teacher and all of his classmates’ attention since he stated with _My presentation is about a story I know all of us have heard, but not many of us remember much about now._

Gigi and the two jerks, as Louis now calls them, are gaping at him, too. He doesn’t know what to do with all the attention. He starts to say, “I’m sorry I changed it up last minute – “ When his teacher stands up and claps.

He fucking claps.

Of course, three seconds later he has the entire classroom clapping along too. And Zayn can’t help but smile up at the window where Louis and Liam are watching with wide smiles and thumbs up.

“That was a brilliant presentation, Mr. Malik. What inspired it?” He asks. And Zayn feels so giddy and happy he could tell them all about his own real experience in Neverland. He refrains though. Not because he doesn’t want to say it all out loud, proudly. But because that’s not what Niall needs from him right now.

“It’s a story that I’ve felt connected with since I was a kid.” Zayn says.

“That’s the best presentation I’ve ever seen on a classic as wonderful as Peter Pan is.” The man says, clapping Zayn in the back and smiling at him. “Is there something you’d like to add? You seem like you want to go on.”

Zayn laughs breathlessly, then continues on the last part of the plan, the important one. “I could talk about this story forever, but I’d like to add just one more thing.” Zayn starts, “It’s known in the story that Tinkerbell, and every kind of fairy, needs and literally lives off of people’s belief in them.” He explains, looking up at the window again and catching Liam’s supporting smile and Louis’ excited nodding. “I’d just like, for the sake of every fairy out there that might be needing it, to say out loud that we do believe in fairies.” It earns a laugh out of his classmates, but it doesn’t feel like they’re making fun of him. “Just to get back to the child that’s still inside us somewhere, to remind ourselves we can be that kid again, even if just for a minute.”

His teacher surprises him by smiling curiously at him and standing up again to say, voice firm and smile genuine, not a bit mocking. “I believe in fairies. I do, I do.”

Zayn says it next, then Gigi backs him up and suddenly the entire classroom is standing and chanting it so loud Zayn’s sure it can be heard in the entire campus.

He looks up one more time to the window, just in time to catch Louis and Liam hugging with proud smiles on their faces as they say the words along with the entire class. Zayn looks down at his classmates once again to keep repeating it as much as his teacher allows it, and by the time he says it’s been enough and thanks Zayn one more time for the amazing presentation, they all have crinkly smiles on their faces as they congratulate Zayn on his way back his seat. Even Gigi and the two jerks smile sheepishly at him and thank him.

Louis and Liam are gone by the time the class ends and Zayn feels as happy as he did when he was back in Neverland.

 

-

 

“You should have seen it!” Louis raves on, Harry’s sure he’s told and re-told the day’s events at least four times. “It was so fucking magical, I swear. Did you feel it too, Li? It was too good. I wish I had one of those phones thingys Zayn has to record it all for you two. It was the best thing I’ve seen happen since we defeated Hook, and that’s saying something.”

“They got it, Lou.” Liam chuckles softly, “C’mon now, we should let them rest. Our Nialler is all shinny and bright again, but he still needs his rest.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re too nice, Payno. But I know a _shut up_ when I hear one.”

Liam just ruffles Louis’ hair and smiles back at Harry and Niall before dragging him out of their room.

“They really did it.” Niall breathes out from where he’s lying on Harry’s chest. “I can’t believe shy, little Zayn did that, just to save me.”

“Not so shy and little anymore.” Harry says, rubbing Niall’s back gently. “I knew he had it in him.”

“We need to go down there and say our personal thanks.” Niall says before yawning. “I’ll give him a bag of fairy dust as a gift, so he can entertain himself when he’s bored.”

“What you need is a good sleep.” Harry says, getting the blankets to cover Niall up to his chin and cuddling him closer. Niall giggles when the loose threads of a thick blanket tickle his nose and Harry is suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of _love_ he feels like he might burst with it. “I love you.” Harry whispers in Niall’s ear, enjoying the shiver that he can feel run down Niall’s spine. “Wish I could’ve made it all better with those three little words.” He admits just as quietly, just for them to hear.

“You can still say it as many times as you wish.” Niall whispers back. “You know I love every time you say it, thinking of you literally makes me float away sometimes.”

“I love you.” Harry says again. “I. Love. You” He presses a kiss all over Niall, enunciating every word. “I love you.”

“I love you back.” Niall says, eyes so blue and bright, cheeks so rosy, a halo of light making him look ethereal in Harry’s arms. “Say it one more time and I’ll fly up so high you won’t be able to get me down to sleep.”

“Oh we can’t have that, can we?” Harry says with a teasing smile. He can tell Niall knows he’s going to say it one more time because he blushes and his smile grows, both in his mouth and his eyes. “I love you.”

Niall grabs onto Harrys hands the moment he starts going up. And they both end up almost touching the ceiling. Niall laughing and Harry looking at him with only love and adoration on his face.

“Guess being a fairy dust machine and thinking of happy things really does the trick.” Niall says after the last giggle escapes him, making Harry laugh against his cheek. He snuggles again on Harry’s chest, letting them slowly fall down back on the bed.

They really are alright. 

**Author's Note:**

> So, there's that.
> 
> i hope you liked it, and if you did please do let me know, whether it is with kudos or a comment, both would make me incredibly happy. Thank you for reading! hope i didn't disappoint.
> 
> you can come talk to me or send me prompts on [tumblr](http://www.jamesniall.tumblr.com)


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